WOKING’S Lightbox gallery and museum has been given £1,000 by a finalist in a TV programme.

Stephanie Renouf came second in the Channel Five series, I Own Britain’s Best Home 2009.

And the former Lightbox press officer donated the generous sum of £1,000 from her prize money to the gallery and museum in Chobham Road.

Stephanie Renouf, an interior designer, became a finalist in the nine-part series with her New England-inspired home on the Suffolk coast.

The series’ quest to find Britain’s best home took viewers on a journey from the comfy to the quirky by revealing stunning builds, dumbfounding design and exquisite decor from 24 houses around the country.

Ms Renouf’s coastal home was featured comparing footage of the 1980s dilapidated bungalow that she had bought five years ago and the picturesque Cape Cod, Massachusetts-inspired vision of seaside chic that it has now become.

With an imaginative approach and more than three years of hard work, the stylish renovation, complete with whitewashed exterior clapboard cladding and delicate nautical decor, was said to reflect Ms Renouf’s love for the sea, a cosy shelter from the elements and a place where she felt 'earthed'.

Ms Renouf was delighted to come runner-up and received very supportive feedback from both the celebrity panel, including interior design expert Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, and fellow Walberswick residents.

She said: “To be the runner-up on something like this is quite incredible.”

Ms Renouf won £3,000 and gave £1,000 to each of her favourite charities.

She added: “I have always been a strong supporter of The Lightbox. It is such a fantastic gallery and does so much for the [Woking] community.

“It is a fabulous charity and I am proud to have been involved in its creation.”

A Norfolk woodland hideaway won the series, the owner walking away with £20,000 prize money to be given to the charity of her choice.